Depending on your source, the engineer
of the Metro-North train that crashed Sunday, killing four and
injuring more than 60, was either "zoned out" or dozing just
seconds before the derailment. The engineer, William Rockefeller,
reportedly woke up as the train—then traveling 82 mph—entered a 30-mph
bend in the Bronx.

A Metro North train derailed early this morning in the Bronx, killing at least four and injuring…
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According to authorities who spoke with the New York Post, Rockefeller told investigators he had "zoned
out" and was snapped into awareness by a loud whistle, which served
as a warning that the train was going too fast. Rockefeller applied
the brakes just five seconds before the derailment, according to the
train's data recording device.

DNA Info has a similar report, but
their sources claim Rockefeller "virtually admitted" to falling asleep as the
train travelled through a straightaway, zoned at 70 mph, not far from
the curve in the Bronx.

Rockefeller initially said the
train's brakes were dysfunctional, but that now appears to be untrue.
"We are not aware of any problems or anomalies with the brakes,"
National Transportation Safetey Board member Earl Weener said, according to the New York Times. Sen. Chuck Schumer added: "The train did make nine
stops before coming to this curve. So clearly the brakes were working
a short time before."

NTSB investigators have confiscated
Rockefeller's cell phone to search for any signs that he was texting
or otherwise distracted by it before the crash. Rockefeller also took a
drug and alcohol test, but investigators do not
believe either was a factor.

Anthony
Bottalico, the acting director of the Association of Commuter Rail
Employees, told the New York Times that Rockefeller, who began his
career as a custodian at Grand Central Station, had been an engineer
for the early morning shift on Metro-North since just November 17, though he added
that Rockefeller had worked the line many times before and knew the
route.